Finding the joy every day

First Day of School!

So DD is back to school today. It’s her last year of primary school, and we enter into a whirlwind of school visits and testing to get her into senior school next year. I’m done screaming, “She’s 10, leave her alone!”, and hoping the UK miraculously invents middle school, because that’s not going to get me anywhere. I am more focused on reminding her to be herself, chill out, and remember that the right school for her will recognise her. She has a lot to offer and I hope that the testy-choosy people see that. My job is to get her through the next 5-6 months unscathed (OK, relatively whole).

Our holiday in France did a lot towards that end; we had a really good time with some rousing games of charades and Uno (Granny plays to win!), lots of swim/beach time and ziplining for DD, and lots of book & wine time for me. We did an insane amount of crossword puzzles, too, and spent many evenings discussing the news (sigh, yes, Trump). But all good things must end, and it was lovely to get back home to my super-sprung mattress and reliable WiFi.

The weather is tropical in London today, and we’re expecting warmer temperatures this week – I do love a bit of ‘sensommer’ – that’s late summer for the non-Scandi readers. But I did sneak in a pumpkin spice latte this morning and my Pinterest clothes boards are already filling up with chunky jumpers and boots. The slow cooker is waiting in the wings, DD is already working on Halloween costume ideas and I’m waiting for Wholefoods to list their Thanksgiving menu – can you tell we love autumn?

But for now, I need to sign off, and finish all my filing and shredding for August.

Good luck with the school search – I LOVED having a middle school in Australia for our two – it was the perfect fit and not intimidating (another reason to move here 🙂
We are just about to pack away the chunky jumpers – yes! even in tropical Queensland and yes, I have gone soft 🙂

I had middle school at the international school I attended, and it was the perfect bridge between child and teenager, with teachers equipped to handle us. I want that for DD. Plus, with maniac Gove doing a number on the literature syllabus, an international school might be a safer bet.

Happy shredding! I am slowlz moving into Autumn too. Yesterday I made a batch of Apple cinnamon jam, which I had on top of cream chgeon a bag this morning – very Fall- feeling.
Oh I hear you about school. My eldest is in his third year of primary over here. Next year will be his last and then, at barely ten, he will go off to secondary. It is a crazy system that makes me long for the Irish 8 years of primary school and secondary at 13 years of age.

Are you going to post the recipe for the jam? Have I missed it? RE: school – I feel like I’m the only parent in DDs cohort wailing about this sudden leap to senior school. They’re barely figuring out their own emotions, let alone the maze that is senior school.

What now? There’s no middle school? Where is a 10-yr-old going to school? What is senior school? Like high school? Back to school days are difficult enough! I am not ready for autumn. I love it. So much. But the apples and pumpkins will wait…